Time Well Spent

Proverbs 15:14 says, “The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly”

 

I have a dirty secret that I am generally reluctant to share with most people…I don’t watch TV anymore. Well, ok, to be perfectly honest I do watch my television, but I am talking about broadcast (cable, etc…) TV shows. 99% of the time that I am in front of my TV, it is either showing Lord of the Rings or a Star Trek DVD of some sort (oh yeah, that’s the other secret – I’m a geek). What I am saying is that my life isn’t dominated by television anymore. To a large degree, it is because of lack of availability. When we moved, we didn’t reestablish cable and the Dish wouldn’t work because of the trees in the yard. So, for about a month, we didn’t get ANYTHING – then we were eventually given rabbit ears. (Notice that – the rabbit ears were actually thrust upon us because some friends just couldn’t bear the thought of us living without any TV!).

So, thanks to the rabbit ears, my wife and I have one favorite show that we make a point of watching – 1 hour – that’s it.

 

The point is that my usefulness and productivity have really skyrocketed. From 6:30PM – 10:00PM just about every weeknight that we aren’t at church or some other activity, you can generally find me doing the dishes, folding laundry, reading a book, playing with the baby, listening to music, cooking dinner, studying training materials for work – things that I should be doing as opposed to turning my brain off and even worse, filling my mind with images & attitudes that don’t honor God and tear down my defenses and limit my relationship with family and God.

 

Am I telling you that TV is evil and you shouldn’t watch it – no - that’s not the point. D.L. Moody said that a boat must travel in the water (be in it) but if the water gets in the boat, it sinks (don’t be of it). I am coming to believe that in my life, watching TV for 3-6 hours a night was like drilling holes in my life-boat. It was letting too much world water in. 

 

A friend quoted John Piper telling a story about once his children wanting to go see a particular movie that they probably shouldn’t be seeing (and they knew it). The kids said, “What will it hurt” – Piper’s response was – “what will it help?” Does the time you spend watching sports or some other show bring you closer to the Lord? Now listen, I have just admitted that I love watching Lord of the Rings and Star Trek – they are great escapes for me and don’t cause me to want to sin – there is nothing wrong with needing to unplug for a little bit and relax – TV and movies are a great way to do that. But for every 1 – 2 hours that I do spend watching TV, there are at least that many hours devoted to other non-TV activities. I am not saying that you should unplug your cable or dish – but think about this – take a look at your cable or dish bill. How much money do you spend on shows that you don’t watch or wouldn’t watch anyway? Do you really get a return on that investment? Do you like paying for channels that broadcast what is essentially soft-core porn? Is it honoring to God to bring that into your house?

 

I realize that this hits really close to home – it did when I was first struggling with these things. But, if we really want to be Men of God, we must decide to turn over EVERYTHING to Him, even our entertainment. Again, I am not calling you to throw out your TV, and I am certainly not going to judge anyone that watches more TV than I do. I can walk through a liquor store and not once be tempted to drink – some people can’t come within two blocks of a bar without fighting the desire to go grab a drink.

 

I just want to encourage you to examine your habits and evaluate what we put into our minds and hearts and let God tell you what He desires from you. Be open to what He asks - in my case, my family really has been blessed by following His will for us in this area.

 

 

Nathan Campbell
Please pass this email on to anyone you think should see it.

 

Visit the blog at:

http://firstdallasmen.blogspot.com/

 

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